Archive | April, 2018

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) gathered more than 200 community volunteers under the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services: National Community-Driven Development Program (Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP) during the first Regional Community Volunteers’ Congress dubbed as “Panagtapok 2018”, March 26-28, at the Chali Beach Resort, Cagayan de Oro City.

DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS Community Volunteers showcased their talents in different creative presentations depicting their experiences, hardships, heartaches, successes, and hopes in the implementation of the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP in Northern Mindanao during Panagtapok 2018 – Regional Community Volunteers’ Congress, March 26-28, Chali Beach Resort. (DSWD Photo)

Panagtapok is a venue for the community-volunteers from the different provinces of Northern Mindanao to converge and share their experiences in the implementation of the Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP, as well as a venue for them to showcase their success stories that could promote Community-Driven Development (CDD) as one of the key poverty alleviation strategies of the government.

Hernanito enthused “abi nako ako ra maoy gamay ra og experience sa Kalahi-CIDSS, pero nakatag pud ko og advice sa ila og nakita nako nga makatabang kani sa ila (I thought I was the only one there who had little experience with Kalahi-CIDSS, but I was able to give the others some advice and I think it will help them a lot).”

He further notes that “uyon kaayo ko nga i-adopt sa mga LGU (Local Government Units) and CDD (Community-Driven Development), kay diha sa CDD nakita ug na-experience gyud namo ang proseso sa pagsuta sa problema, diri pud namo nahibal-an kung unsa gyud among gi-kinahanglan, ug unsay angay sa amo nga project – kabalo mi nga paghuman og implementar ug pagkumpleto sa project – amo gyud nga magamit (I really agree that the LGUs should adopt CDD, because it is in CDD that we have experienced the process of finding what the problem is, here we also knew what we really needed, and what project is suitable for us – we know that once the project is implemented and completed – we could really use it).”

“Para sa akong mga kapwa-volunteers – dasig lang gyud ta!, dili gyud ta musurender kai ang atong mabuhat karon mahimo kining legend sa ato-a, wala man tay salapi nga mahatag para tabang sa atong barangay pero ang atong kusog, atong kapasidad, mao ni atong ikapaambit nga para nay matukod nga improvement sa atong barangay – mahimo tang makatabang ani, ug umaabot sa damlag nga panahon, ang atong mga kabataan makapahimulos niini – ug tanan atong nakat-unan paagi sa trainings nga gihatag sa ato sa Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP ato pud ipasa sa atong mga kabataan, aron matudluan sila nga ang CDD mao atong gamiton nga proseso sa pag-implementar sa mga programa sa barangay (To my fellow volunteers – we should keep pushing! We should never give up because what we do now will become legendary. We may not have money to give and help our barangay, but our strength and capacity is what we can contribute to build some improvements in our barangay – we can help this way. And when time the comes, our children will really enjoy this – and all the learnings through trainings that was given to us by Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP should be passed on to our children. That way we can teach them to use the CDD process should be used in implementing programs of the barangay) concludes Hernanito.

Once the Concreting of a 0.27 kilometer Barangay Access Road in Barangay Vista Villa is completed a total of 611 households, 149 of which are Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, will benefit from the community sub-project, this as their current road is muddy and slippery during rains making it difficult for trucks and vehicles to transport farmers’ crops and produce, furthermore, several vehicles have already encountered accidents here.

DSWD Assistant Regional Director for Operations Aldersey Mumar dela Cruz addresses the community volunteers in attendance during the Regional Community Volunteers’ Congress, Chali Beach Resort, March 26-28, 2018. Director Dela Cruz is hopeful that the volunteers will remain enthusiastic and happy in implementing the community sub-projects under the Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP, and reminds everyone that in unity – there is strength. (DSWD Photo)

The Volunteers’ Congress concluded on a high note with the volunteers showcasing their talents in different creative presentations depicting their experiences, hardships, heartaches, successes, and hopes in the implementation of the Kalahi-CIDSS NCDDP in Northern Mindanao.

Written by Shaun Alejandrae Y Uy, DSWD

Nievan B Llacuna, Kalahi-CIDSS Barangay Sub-project Management Committee (BSPMC) Chairperson of Barangay Sindangan, Talisayan, Misamis Oriental shares his experiences in the implementation of the community sub-projects in their area during Panagtapok 2018 – Regional Community Volunteers’ Congress, March 26-28, Chali Beach Resort. Llacuna is a teacher by profession, and volunteering is his way of giving back to the community. Nievan is also part of the region’s delegation to the National Community Volunteers’ Congress in Manila, August 2017, sponsored by the DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS National Program Management Office. (DSWD Photo)

DSWD Kalahi-CIDSS Sub-Regional Program Coordinator (SRPC) for Misamis Oriental Engr. Abobacar Tocalo lectures on the importance of a Local Government Unit (LGU) – led Community-Driven Development programs or projects. SRPC Tocalo also emphasized the importance of pushing for the integration, adoption and/or institutionalization of the CDD process in the local governments, especially in the barangays, as this will lead to an empowered community that helps in nation building. (DSWD Photo)

Workers of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 10 remind all the program beneficiaries that they are free to decide, choose, and express their beliefs and rights relative to the upcoming barangay elections through their monthly Family Development Session (FDS), such as this in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental.

During the FDS, DSWD workers promote the beneficiaries’ rights to participate in the electoral process, but, emphasize to them that the program shall not be used for advancing political campaigns of any candidate, group, political parties, and the likes during the entire election period.

Sheremie Canunayon holds her medals inside her boarding house in Cagayan de Oro City, a day after her graduation at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines. (DSWD Photo)

Cagayan de Oro City — Success belongs to those who try to take every opportunity that comes their way, even if they fail than by regretting for not trying. Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiary Sheremie Canunayon, 20, believes in this.

Finishing a degree in Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education majoring in Mathematics, Sheremie received the highest honors as Cum Laude during the recent commencement exercises of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines – Main Campus here.

Second to the last or sixth of the seven Canunayon siblings of Purok Sunflower B, Bal-ason, Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental, some 136.50 kilometers east off the city; Sheremie did not expect to earn such honor during her graduation.

“I didn’t expect to receive such award. What I did was I never wasted the opportunity given to me by DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and CHED (Commission on Higher Education) through the Expanded Student Grant-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGPPA). I worked and studied hard to make my family happy,” she said.

When she was in her early elementary years, Sheremie claimed that she was anti-social. She didn’t want to make friends with most of her classmates. She was aloof.

However, she was quick to add that she only had few friends, who were also academic achievers like her.

It was during their frequent group studies that made her realize that she needed people around her, to support her in reaching her goals.

Sheremie disclosed that her teacher in high school inspired to participate in school and community activities to further honed her skills and abilities. This made her more active in school and in her community.

The close supervision of her parents and teachers in high school, she claimed, slowly changed her ways before, from being aloft to being participative in school and friendly with people around her.

‘ESGPPA a good investment in education’

Sheremie Canunayon with her sisters and brother inside her boarding house in Cagayan de Oro City. (DSWD Photo)

Sheremie considers her degree as a ticket to live out of poverty.

A scholar of ESGPPA since her first year at USTP, Sheremie said the program is “something that every 4Ps beneficiaries must be proud of.”

She said both ESGPPA and Pantawid Pamilya are good investments of the national government to the poor families, adding that, “education is my ticket to live out of poverty.”

Like any Pantawid beneficiary, she experienced difficulties in life. It never occurred to them that anyone in the family could reach college. Yet the sheer determination has been her driving force to finish her studies.

“I was so lucky then that I was included in the list of ESGPPA scholars. Because of that, my dream became a reality, big time,” Sheremie shared.

She did excel in her studies and even in extra-curricular activities. Despite her rather hectic schedule, she found time to be with her family to go to church.

Sheremie hoped that 4Ps will continue to help more indigent students to finish a college degree and make their dreams come true like her.

Sheremie is one of the 1,940 ESGPPA scholars in Northern Mindanao.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) spearheaded the implementation of ESGPPA.

A student-grantee receives a maximum of P60,000 scholarship grant per school year or P30,000 per semester. This is broken down to P20,000/year Tuition Fee Cost, P5,000/year Textbook Fees and other learning materials, and P35,000 (that is, P3,500/month x 10 months) stipend (for board and lodging, transportation, clothing, health/medical needs, basic school supplies and other related costs.

Sheremie Canunayon browses her graduation photos with her sister.

The 4Ps is a human development measure of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and the education of children aged 0-18. It is patterned after the conditional cash transfer (CCT) schemes in Latin American and African countries, which have lifted millions of people around the world from poverty.

The DSWD is the lead government agency of the 4Ps.

Pantawid Pamilya is only one of the poverty reduction strategies of the national government implemented by the DSWD, with the primary aim to break the intergenerational poverty cycle.

In Northern Mindanao, there are more than 270,000 household active beneficiaries of the program.

Valencia City, Bukidnon — The City Action Team of DSWD Field Office 10 here gathers the spouses of Overseas Filipino Workers to follow up their situation.

The 16 OFWs are all Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries who were able to work in Oman and Kuwait as domestic helpers after undergoing skills training and employment facilitation by the Sustainable Livelihood Program of DSWD, in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Multi-Star International.

The DSWD, Public Employment and Services Office of Valencia City, Aboitiz Construction, and the Department of Labor and Employment will schedule another job fair for all 4Ps and SLP beneficiaries on April 26-27, 2018 here.

Written by Oliver B. Inodeo, DSWD

(Photo credit to Francis John Flores, Project Development Officer of Sustainable Livelihood Program in Valencia City.)

Cagayan de Oro City — Mary Che Vitor will wake up early in the morning helping her mother, Anita, in taking a bath and dressing up her sister who has a cerebral palsy.

An 18-year old graduate of senior high school of Cagayan de Oro City National High School (CDOCNHS) here, Mary Che will always devote time doing the household chores and taking care of her eldest sister, Mary Love, daily despite her hectic schedule.

Awarded with Highest Honors during the recent graduation in her class, Mary Che disclosed that she strived hard to excel in her class in order to earn good grades and lay strong foundation for her future.

Mary Che dreams of becoming a Psychologist.

Second of the five Vitor siblings, Mary Che promised to help her parents in rearing the eldest sister, who has mobility and verbal limitations.

Medical dictionary defines cerebral palsy as a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination (spastic paralysis) and/or other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth.

May Che said she will provide physical therapist, occupational therapist, and speech therapist for Mary Love when she will finish her college studies and earn a stable job to improve the condition of her eldest sister.

She is also planning to buy mobility aids and assistive devices for Mary Love.

Active in school and co-curricular activities

May Che has been a consistent honor student since her elementary years in Kauswagan Elementary School.

Included in the fast learners’ section when she was in Grade 5 and 6, Mary Che still maintain excellent grades, earning recognition and awards during commencement exercises and graduation.

During her junior high school days, May Che enrolled at CDOCNHS. She did not only maintain her top post in her class, but, became active to co-curricular and school activities.

She has been representing her school in school press conferences, regional and provincial quiz bees and bowls during those years.

Mary loves to read and write stories during her elementary years. When an opportunity opened for her to the school paper, she applied for a position. She eventually became an essay writer and later an editor-in-chief of the school paper, The Naked Truth, a position she holds until she graduated in senior high school.

Trying her luck in organizing and leading her fellow students, May Che won the Treasurer position in the elections of their supreme student government.

She also won the trust and confidence of her fellow students taking the Humanities and Social Sciences track by making her their class president.

‘4Ps, best initiative of the government’

Mary Che’s family is an active member of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Zone 6, Tinago, Capisnon, Kauswagan in this city.

While she’s about to graduate at the program after finishing senior high school, Mary Che asked DSWD and the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to continue the program to help the children of the poor Filipino families finish, at least, high school education and guarantee their health.

“Pantawid had been a blessing to us because it helps us in reaching for our dreams, that is, to live out of poverty,” she said in vernacular.

She added, “that’s why I strive hard to excel in my studies because I am confident that there is this program helping us in our needs. The small income from my father’s salary as security guard cannot compensate to our needs in our studies and daily needs. Thanks to the 4Ps program.”

The 4Ps is a human development measure of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and the education of children aged 0-18. It is patterned after the conditional cash transfer (CCT) schemes in Latin American and African countries, which have lifted millions of people around the world from poverty.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is the lead government agency of the 4Ps.

Pantawid Pamilya is only one of the poverty reduction strategies of the national government implemented by the DSWD, with the primary aim to break the intergenerational poverty cycle.

In Northern Mindanao, there are more than 270,000 household active beneficiaries of the program.

The Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC), a facility run by the Department of Social Welfare and Development Field Office X, provides a homelike environment where children feel at home and safe during their stay. Aside from their daily recreational activities in the center, children regularly have outdoor activities such as offering them opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of well-being. Outdoor activities are regularly conducted for the children in RSCC to enable them to have a closer experience with nature.

Since beach swimming expands the children’s horizon to discover nature and serves as a therapeutic approach in addressing their anxieties, the children residents of RSCC recently had their outdoor activity held at Marvilla Beach Resort, Opol, Misamis Oriental last February 15, 2018. The children with special needs also had a chance to dip at the beach and benefited from the natural healing effect of sea water.

Once can see that the children had a lot of fun playing through the interactive games facilitated by the RSCC staff. During the said activity, the children whose birthdays fall on the month of February were also recognized by blowing of candles on their cake.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development is mandated to protect the welfare of the children, including the children residents of RSCC. While they are still under the custody of the DSWD, the latter assures that their welfare and their stay at the RSCC will be something that is meaningful and worthwhile.

Since the upsurge of the conflict in Marawi City on May 23, 2017, I have been personally part of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 10’s monitoring team who regularly consults with the camp managers designated in thirty-four (34) evacuation centers in Iligan City, Baloi, Pantar and Pantao Ragat, hosting about two thousand (2000) families, to ensure basic social protection services are provided to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), with utmost quality and compassion.

For seven months, I’ve had my fair share of experiences and emotional connection to the IDPs. Being a Maranao who speak the language and understands the culture, I am deeply rooted to strive and be a better public servant for my brothers and sisters in humanity.

One of the most inspiring and memorable experience I’ve faced is when I heard this song, written and performed by the IDPs staying in Calawi Auditorium in the municipality of Pantao Ragat, in one of our monitoring activity.

The song is entitled “Anda so Ingud Ami” which literally mean “Where is Our Home” written by Khairinian and Sidikadatu Family, one of the two-hundred eighty-four (284) displaced families from Marawi City, who fled and sought refuge in the municipality of Pantao Ragat, Lanao del Norte. The song tells, how these families feel about their current situation and an emotional expression of their longingness and love for their home, Marawi City.

The song may not have the perfect, rhythm or melody but it has the right amount feeling to hit you from within, and it’s worth sharing.

Cagayan de Oro City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is set to pay the cash grants of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries through the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) this April.

Pay-out will start on April 17 until the 27th day of this month.

The synchronization of payouts of 4Ps grantees with the beneficiaries of the 2018 Unconditional Cash Transfer has caused the delay of the payment of cash grants of 4Ps grantees, who are set to receive the grants for their compliance of the conditionalities in December 2017 and January 2018 under Period 6.

The UCT is a component of the national government’s Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) program that aims to assist indigent Filipinos that will be affected by the rising prices because of the implementation of the new tax reform program.

As stipulated in the TRAIN act, DSWD will implement the UCT scheme for three years. It will release P2,400 (P200 per month) in 2018 and a total of P3,600 (P300 per month) in 2019 and in 2020. P24 billion has been earmarked for the 2018 UCT implementation in the FY 2018 GAA.

As it is, ten million households/individuals will receive the UCT. Of this figure, 4.4 million are Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries.

DSWD has already paid the 1.8 million 4Ps beneficiaries with cash cards last 31 January 2018. The remaining 2.6 million Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries without cash cards will receive the grants through partner conduits this April.

The three million indigent senior citizens who are beneficiaries of DSWD Social Pension Program are among the beneficiaries. The remaining 2.6 million households will be selected from the Listahanan or National Household Targeting System (NHTS-PR) which will go through validation.